Awaara
Encyclopedia
Awaara is a 1951
Hindi film
directed and produced by Raj Kapoor
who also plays the leading role. His real-life father Prithviraj Kapoor
stars as his on-screen father Judge Raghunath. Kapoor's youngest real-life brother Shashi Kapoor
plays the younger version of his character. Prithiviraj's father Dewan Bashwanath Kapoor also played a cameo role in his only film appearance.
The film centers on the intertwining lives of poor Raj (Raj Kapoor) and privileged Rita (Nargis
). In the film, Kapoor's poor, innocent "little tramp" character references Charlie Chaplin
and was further developed in other Kapoor films such as Shri 420
.
The film is a collaboration of the famous team of director/producer Kapoor and writer Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
, with music composed by the team of Shankar Jaikishan
. KA Abbas originally wanted Mehboob Khan to direct the film but the two disagreed over the casting. Khan wanted Ashok Kumar to play the judge and Dilip Kumar the son. In the event, Abbas withdrew his script from Mehboob Studios and Raj Kapoor decided to direct it.
The film became an overnight sensation in South Asia
, and found success abroad in the Soviet Union
, East Asia
, Africa
, and the Middle East
. In particular, the song "Awara Hoon
" (I am a Tramp), sung by Mukesh with lyrics by Shailendra
, became hugely popular across the Indian subcontinent
, as well as in the Soviet Union, China
, Turkey
, Afghanistan, and Romania
. The film was also nominated for the Grand Prize
of the Cannes Film Festival
in 1953.
). Judge Raghunath threw Raj's mother out of the house years earlier on suspicion of infidelity. As a child, Raj befriends Rita in school, but Raj is removed from the school rolls while trying to maintain a job and Rita moves to another city. Even though they are separated, Rita remains in Raj's thoughts.
On the streets, Raj turns to a life of petty crime and finds a father-figure in Jagga (K. N. Singh). It is only many years later that Raj realizes that Jagga is the man responsible for his mother's estrangement. While planning a bank robbery with his friends, they realize they need an automobile
. He snatches a woman's purse after she steps out of the car, but finds no keys, and pretends to pursue the thief to release suspicion from himself. After his elaborate act, he returns the purse to the woman, who is soon revealed to be Rita. Rita is now the warden of the Judge, who suspects that Raj is no good and eventually restricts Rita from seeing him. As soon as Raj realizes that Jagga is responsible for his mother's misery, he kills Jagga in a fit of rage and then attempts to kill the Judge. Due to these actions, Raj is brought to his own father's court, where Rita serves as his lawyer. In the end, Raj is sentenced to 3 years in prison for his crime, but Rita promises to wait for him.
, where it was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival
.
In 2003, Time
magazine included it in a list of "10 Indian Films to Treasure". In 2005, Indiatimes
Movies ranked the movie amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films", writing, "Whenever Raj Kapoor and Nargis came together on screen, sparks flew. Their chemistry was electrifying and it crackles with raw passion in Raj Kapoor’s Awara. Nargis's wild and carefree sensuality pulsates and Raj Kapoor's scruffy hair-rebellious persona only adds fuel to the fire".
, the film grossed a record of over Rs.
12 million. This record was later beaten the next year by Aan
.
In the Soviet Union
, Awaara is estimated to have drawn between 40 to 63 million viewers to cinemas across the nation. It remained the most successful Indian film
in the Soviet Union up until films like Bobby, Seeta Aur Geeta
and Disco Dancer
achieved a similar level of success there.
The film was also a nationwide success in China
, where the song "Awaara Hoon" and actor Raj Kapoor
became widely known across the nation, much like in the Soviet Union. The film's success in both the Soviet Union and China has been attributed to the socialist
themes expressed in the film.
as Avare in 1964 starred by prominent Turkish actor Sadri Alışık, along with actress Ajda Pekkan.
Bollywood films of 1951
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai in 1951:-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian Box Office in 1951:-1951:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
Hindi film
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
directed and produced by Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
who also plays the leading role. His real-life father Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
stars as his on-screen father Judge Raghunath. Kapoor's youngest real-life brother Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
plays the younger version of his character. Prithiviraj's father Dewan Bashwanath Kapoor also played a cameo role in his only film appearance.
The film centers on the intertwining lives of poor Raj (Raj Kapoor) and privileged Rita (Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
). In the film, Kapoor's poor, innocent "little tramp" character references Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
and was further developed in other Kapoor films such as Shri 420
Shri 420
Shree 420 is a 1955 Bollywood film directed, produced by and starring Raj Kapoor.The film centers on Raj, a poor, but educated orphan who comes to Bombay with dreams of success...
.
The film is a collaboration of the famous team of director/producer Kapoor and writer Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas , popularly known as K. A. Abbas, was an Indian film director, novelist, screenwriter, and a journalist in the Urdu, Hindi and English languages...
, with music composed by the team of Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....
. KA Abbas originally wanted Mehboob Khan to direct the film but the two disagreed over the casting. Khan wanted Ashok Kumar to play the judge and Dilip Kumar the son. In the event, Abbas withdrew his script from Mehboob Studios and Raj Kapoor decided to direct it.
The film became an overnight sensation in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, and found success abroad in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In particular, the song "Awara Hoon
Awara Hoon
Awara Hoon was an internationally popular song from the 1951 classic Hindi film, Awaara, starring Raj Kapoor. The song was written in the Hindi-Urdu or Hindustani language by lyricist Shailendra and sung by Mukesh...
" (I am a Tramp), sung by Mukesh with lyrics by Shailendra
Shailendra
Shankardas Kesarilal , popularly known by his pen name Shailendra, was a popular Indian Hindi lyricist.-Career as a lyricist:...
, became hugely popular across the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, as well as in the Soviet Union, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Afghanistan, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The film was also nominated for the Grand Prize
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
of the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 1953.
Plot
Raj lives a life of poverty as a result of being estranged from his vindictive father, a wealthy district judge (played by Kapoor's real-life father Prithviraj KapoorPrithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
). Judge Raghunath threw Raj's mother out of the house years earlier on suspicion of infidelity. As a child, Raj befriends Rita in school, but Raj is removed from the school rolls while trying to maintain a job and Rita moves to another city. Even though they are separated, Rita remains in Raj's thoughts.
On the streets, Raj turns to a life of petty crime and finds a father-figure in Jagga (K. N. Singh). It is only many years later that Raj realizes that Jagga is the man responsible for his mother's estrangement. While planning a bank robbery with his friends, they realize they need an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
. He snatches a woman's purse after she steps out of the car, but finds no keys, and pretends to pursue the thief to release suspicion from himself. After his elaborate act, he returns the purse to the woman, who is soon revealed to be Rita. Rita is now the warden of the Judge, who suspects that Raj is no good and eventually restricts Rita from seeing him. As soon as Raj realizes that Jagga is responsible for his mother's misery, he kills Jagga in a fit of rage and then attempts to kill the Judge. Due to these actions, Raj is brought to his own father's court, where Rita serves as his lawyer. In the end, Raj is sentenced to 3 years in prison for his crime, but Rita promises to wait for him.
Cast
- Dewan Basheswarnath Singh Kapoor as Judge
- Prithviraj KapoorPrithviraj KapoorPrithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
as Judge Raghunath - NargisNargisNargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
as Rita - Raj KapoorRaj KapoorKnown as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
as Raj Ragunath - Leela ChitnisLeela ChitnisLeela Chitnis was an early actress in the Indian film industry.-Early life:She was born in Dharwar, Karnataka to an English professor. She was one of the first educated film actresses...
as Leela Raghunath - K.N. Singh as Jagga
- Leela MishraLeela MishraLeela Mishra was an Indian film actor, who worked as a character actor in over 200 Hindi films for five decades, eventually playing stock characters like aunts, Chachi or Mausi...
as Raghunath's Sister-in-law - CukooCukooCukoo, also credited as Cuckoo, was an Anglo-Indian dancer and Actress in Indian cinema . Cukoo was the queen of film dancing in the 1940s. Though unfamiliar name, she was known as "rubber girl" of Hindi cinema and her talent made cabaret a must in the Bollywood films during the 1950s and...
as Bar dancer - Helen as Dancer (uncredited)
- Shashi KapoorShashi KapoorShashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
as Young Raj (child artist) - Prem Nath as Cameo appearance in song
Reception
It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival1953 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Jean Cocteau *Louis Chauvet *Titina De Filippo *Guy Desson *Philippe Erlanger *Renée Faure *Jacques-Pierre Frogerais *Abel Gance *André Lang...
, where it was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
.
In 2003, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine included it in a list of "10 Indian Films to Treasure". In 2005, Indiatimes
Indiatimes
Indiatimes is the Internet subsidiary of The Times of India Group, under which, some of the largest websites in India - The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times and Maharashtra Times operate....
Movies ranked the movie amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films", writing, "Whenever Raj Kapoor and Nargis came together on screen, sparks flew. Their chemistry was electrifying and it crackles with raw passion in Raj Kapoor’s Awara. Nargis's wild and carefree sensuality pulsates and Raj Kapoor's scruffy hair-rebellious persona only adds fuel to the fire".
Box office
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the film grossed a record of over Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
12 million. This record was later beaten the next year by Aan
Aan
Aan , also known as The Savage Princess in the U.S.A, is a 1952 technicolor Hindi musical produced and directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan, it is said to be India's first technicolour film. It stars Dilip Kumar, Premnath, Nimmi and marked the debut of Nadira who replaced the original choice...
.
In the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Awaara is estimated to have drawn between 40 to 63 million viewers to cinemas across the nation. It remained the most successful Indian film
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
in the Soviet Union up until films like Bobby, Seeta Aur Geeta
Seeta Aur Geeta
Seeta aur Geeta is a 1972 Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sippy. The story is by Salim-Javed and the music by R.D. Burman.The story is about identical twins who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. The twins then swap places...
and Disco Dancer
Disco Dancer
Disco Dancer is a 1982 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Babbar Subhash starring Mithun Chakraborty in lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer...
achieved a similar level of success there.
The film was also a nationwide success in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where the song "Awaara Hoon" and actor Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
became widely known across the nation, much like in the Soviet Union. The film's success in both the Soviet Union and China has been attributed to the socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
themes expressed in the film.
Remake
Due to the film's remarkable success on Turkish spectators, Awaara was remade in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as Avare in 1964 starred by prominent Turkish actor Sadri Alışık, along with actress Ajda Pekkan.